Derrick.



Patented July 3, I900.

C. G. FARMEB.

D E R R l 0 K (Application filed Feb. 21, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER GRAYSON FARMER, 0F PULASKI CITY, VIRGINIA.

DERRICK.

srncrr rcn'rroiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,762, dated July 3, 1900. Application filed February 21, 1900. Serial No. 6,087. (No model.)

To all whom it may'concern:

Be it known that 'I, CHESTER GRAYSON FARMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pulaski City, in the county'of Pulaski and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Derrick, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in derricks; and the primary object in view is to provide means operable by the load-cable for raising or lowering'the pivoted derrickboom, whereby the services of an attendant to operate the boom may. be dispensed with.

A further object is to provide a simple and durable attachment which may be applied to the boom of any derrick to adapt the same for operation, as above indicated, and tearrange the parts of the attachment with a view to securing ease and efiiciency in operation.

Further objects and advantages of .the 'invention will appear'in the course of the subjoined description, and the novelty in the construction, arrangement, and combinations of parts will be defined'by the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a derrick equipped with a boom-hoist embodying my invention. .Fig. 2is an enlarged perspective view of the boom-hoist removed from the derrick. Fig. 3' is alongitudinal sectional elevation through the boomhoist, taken in the plane of the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section in the plane of the dotted line 4A on Fig.3..

The same numerals of reference are used to indicate like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

An ordinary derrick vis represented by Fig. 1 of the drawings,'in which 10 designates the mast, which is stepped inthe .fOOl'nblOGk 11 and stayed in place bythe guy-ropes 12. On this foot-block is a sheave 13, and.another sheave 14 is mounted near the head of the mast. Near its lower'end the mast is equipped with a bearing 15, in which the ordinary boom 17 is pivoted at 18. A tackleblock 19 is connected to the upper end of the boom, and a similar block 20 is attached nearv the upper end of the mast, whereby a cable 21 may be reeved through the tackle-blocks, so as to have one end thereof fastened to the block 19 and its other end engaged with a cleat 16 on the mast, thus making provision for raising or lowering the boom by hand in the event of breakageof'any of the parts comprising my improved boom-hoist to be hereinafter described. The fall for the load in cludes a tackle-block 22, which is connected to the upper end of the pivoted-boom. The load tackle-block 2.3. is equipped with a grapple 23 of any suitable character. Asheave 24 is loosely journa'ld within a slot 25 of the pivoted: boom, and theload-cable 26 is carried around the sheaves 13 l t through the'slot 25 in the boom,'so astofit the sheave 24, thence around the sheave in the tackle-block 23, thence over the sheave and the tackle-block 22, and finally the end of this cable is fastened to the load tackle-block 27. The other end of the load-cable is carried to an engine or other power appliance, which is adapted to draw on the cable for the purpose of raising the load through the described construction of the fall; f-

The'p'arts hereinbefo re describedare'similar to those of an ordinary derrick. Hence these parts may be modified within wide" limits. The improvement which I have madeconsists of a gripper mechanism which is carried by the boom in position to engage with the loadcable, so as to make the boom and cable fast one with the other, whereby the motion of the cable under the pull or strain exerted thereon by the engine may be utilized to raise the boom, or when the cable is slackened the gravity of the load may be exerted on the cable to lower the boom. '1

'In carrying the invention into practice I provide an attachment which may be readily appliedt'o the boom of an ordinary derrick, thus adapting the latter for service in the manner indicated; butliwould have it understood that the boom-hoist which constitutes myimprovement may be builtas apart of the derrick at the time of manufacture thereof. This boom-hoist or attachment contemplates the employment of an angular or curved plate 28, which is cast in a single piece of metal with the reinforcements 29, said plate being provided at a point intermediate of'its length with a longitudinal slot 30. The'angular plate is provided at its ends with the bearing-flanges 30, which are applied laterally against the outer face of the boom and are bolted firmly thereto, so that the bracket will be offset from the face of the boom. This angular plate carries or supports a bracket 31, the latter consisting of parallel plates 32 and base-flanges 33, all cast in a single piece of metal. This bracket is adjusted for its base-flanges to rest against one length of the angular plate, so as to be fastened thereto by means of the bolts 34. The bracket is arranged for the parallel plates thereof to lie on opposite sides of the slot 30 in the angular plate, and by providing the bracket with the base-flanges it may be applied to the angular plate to form the intermediate space 35. A pair of sheaves 36 is mounted in the bracket between the parallel plates 32 thereof, and this bracket and the angular plate serve to confine between themselves a pair of gripperjaws 37 38, the latter arranged to lie at right angles, substantially, to the plane of the sheave-arbors, so that one end of the gripperjaws will be confined in the slot 30 of the angular plate. These gripperjaws are provided with the laterally-extended lugs 39, 1

which are loosely fitted in the spaces 35, providcd between the bracket and the angular plate, whereby the gripper-jaws are loosely confined in operative relation to the slot 30 and thesheaves 30. The gripper-jaws have the rubber, fibrous,or other friction linings 40 set into the working opposing faces thereof in of the jaws with the load-cable, the latter sheaves 36 on its way from the sheave 24 to the load tackle-block 23. A keeper 41 is secured firmly to the angular plate at one side of the bracket, and this keeperis provided with a recess in one edge thereof, which recess is adaptform a slot 42, in which is loosely fitted a gripper-operating lever 43. This lever extends through the keeper and beneath the plates of the bracket 31, so as to extend across the slot 30, and said leveris connected at a point intermediate of its length with one of the gripperjaws by a link 44. A spring 45 is actively disposed with relation to the lever for thepurpose of forcing the latter and the jaw 37 in a direction away from the other jaw 38, thus normally holding the gripper in an open position and permitting the load-cable to pass freely therethrough. This spring is preferably of the coiled variety, having one end fitted in a housing 46, which is formed by and between a part of the angular plate 28 and a part of the keeper 41, the other end of said spring being extended beyond the housing for proper engagement with the lever. An adjusting-line 47 is connected with the free protruding end of this lever and is led around a guide 48 on the boom, said line being carried to a point within convenient reach of the at- I tendant stationed at the engine which is provided for the operation of the derrick.

It is to be observed that on slackening the adjusting-line 47 the spring 45 becomes active to hold the lever and the gripper-jaw 37 in a raised position, thus permitting the loadcable 26 to pass freely through the gripper and the sheaves 36, whereby the derrick may be operated in the ordinary way. To raise the boom by the motion of the load-cable, which is operated from the engine, the attendant pulls on' the line 47 sufficiently to overcome the tension of the spring and to move the lever toward one end of the slot in the keeper, thereby actuating the gripperjaw 37, so as to coact with the other gripperjaw in making the boom and the cable fast one with the other. It is now evident that 7 the draft on the load-cable will operate to raise the boom to a desired position, and by I slackening the adjusting-line 27 the gripper is released from the cable. 1 engaged with the cable and the boom occupying a raised position the draft on the load- With the gripper cable may be slackened and the gravity of the load which is engaged by the grapple may be utilized to lower the boom.

Changes within the scope of the appended claims maybe made in the form and proportion of some of the parts, while their essential features are retained and the spirit of the invention is embodied. Hence I do not de site to be limited to the precise form of all the parts as shown, reserving the right to vary therefrom. order to secure a firm frictional engagement Having thus described the invention, what I claim ispassing between the jaws and between the 1. In a derrick, the combination witha mast i and pivoted boom of a load-cable depending from the outer end of the boom, and a gripper carried by the boom in angular relation thereto and arranged to engage the load-cable disposed at an angle to the boom. ed to be closed by the angular plate, so as to 2. In a derrick, the combination with a mast and pivoted boom, of a load=cable depending from the outer end of the boom, an angular plate carried by the boom, and a gripper car= ried by the angular plate and arranged to engage the load-cable disposed at an angle to the boom.

3. In a derrick, the combination with a mast and pivoted boom, of a load-cable depending from and passed through the boom, a supporting-plate carried by the boom and located substantially transverse to the load-cable, a

1 gripper carried by said plate and. disposed at an angle to the boom for engagement with that portion of the load-cable disposed at an angle to the boom, and means for manually operating the gripper.

4. In a derrick, the combination with a mast and pivoted boom, of an angular plate secured to the boom, a gripper carried by said plate, guide-sheaves mounted in advance of the gripper, and means for actuating the gripper from a point removed therefrom.

5. In a derrick, the combination with a boom, and a load-cable, of an angular plate secured to the boom, a bracket fast with the plate, guide-sheaves mounted in the bracket, a gripper having its members confined in the plate and bracket, a lever connected with in the bracket and the plate, a keeper on said bracket, a lever fitted to the keeper and connected with a gripper member, and a retracting-spring operating against the lever, sub stantially as described.

In testimony that I claim'the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHESTER GRAYSON FARMER.

Witnesses:

N. T. HENDRIX, W. F. LOCKER. 

